An Arab walks into a club and asks to see the manager. "What do you want?" the manager asks. "To tell jokes about terrorism," says the Arab. That night he leaves the stage to huge applause.

The punchline is that this is a true story, for across America, Muslim comedians are packing venues as never before, particularly in Chicago, a centre for stand-up comedy and a city with one of the longest established Arab communities.

The comedian was Azhar Usman, a lawyer who started on the comedy circuit after September 11 in an effort to combat his countrymen's anxieties about Islam through humour.

Before he performs he prays towards Mecca in the car park. The moment he walks on stage at Chicago's Comedy Spot wearing full-length robes and beard there is a gasp from the audience.

"Everywhere I go these days the FBI follows me," the 26-year-old says at the start of his routine. "In fact I think I just saw them take down all your licence plate numbers in the parking lot."

He continues: "I am a Muslim, I am an American Muslim. American and Muslim at the same time. He prays and eats hamburgers!"

His act receives a huge round of applause. "If I can make people laugh at things that typically scare them then I would say my job has been done," he said.

One of the most distinctive comedy partnerships is Ahmed Ahmed, a Muslim Egyptian, and Bob Alper, a part-time rabbi.

Before the September 11 attacks, Mr Ahmed's career highpoint had been as "Terrorist No 4" in the 1996 film Executive Decision.